


Cancelled Dates and Family Dinners

by Kivea



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cryle Week, Dating, Established Relationship, Family Dinners, First Kiss, M/M, Meet the Family, Romantic Comedy, Sort Of, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24162409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: Day 4: Family/First Dates (sort of)It was a nightmare. Everything that he dreaded come to life in his very own home. It was Ike who told him what was happening, having caught sight of the scene downstairs before rushing into Kyle’s room with wide eyes and a panicked flail of his arms. It was a catastrophe. He didn’t even know how to respond to his little brother as Ike told him that the boy he had been casually dating for two weeks had agreed to stay for dinner.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Craig Tucker
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47
Collections: Cryle Week 2020





	Cancelled Dates and Family Dinners

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically a sequel to [ Nice Girls and Bad Boys](/works/13459089/), which is the second Cryle fic I ever wrote like two years ago.
> 
> But if you haven't read it, all you need to know is that Craig and Kyle end up egging Kyle's ex's house, and that's the thing that's referenced in this fic.

It was a nightmare. Everything that he dreaded come to life in his very own home. It was Ike who told him what was happening, having caught sight of the scene downstairs before rushing into Kyle’s room with wide eyes and a panicked flail of his arms. It was a catastrophe. He didn’t even know how to respond to his little brother as Ike told him that the boy he had been casually dating for two weeks had agreed to stay for dinner. 

Kyle had sprained his ankle after some pretty reckless stunts with Stan, Kenny, and Cartman the night before he was meant to go on a date with Craig. He’d sent the boy a message and told him they’d have to reschedule, receiving confirmation and the usual 'tsundere’ routine from the stoic boy. The stoic boy, who proved he could be surprisingly thoughtful when he wanted to be. Who was awful at communicating verbally, but good at showing things through actions.

This was _not a thought-out action._

“What do you mean he’s staying for dinner? How?!” 

“He just kinda…showed up?” Ike gave a helpless shrug. “I dunno, I was in the hallway when I heard the door go, and mom greeted him and welcomed him inside and started talking to him.” 

“Where is he now?” 

“I think he’s still down there. You might wanna-!” 

Ike fell silent as the heard it. The shrill sound of their mother’s voice ringing through the house, requesting his presence downstairs. 

Kyle looked towards his brother with eyes that begged and pleaded with a desperate need for moral support. 

Ike gave him a thumbs up. “You’ve got this. I believe in you. I’m going to my room.” 

“You’re a fucking asshole.” 

Kyle moved with exaggerated difficulty, hoping to avoid what was happening downstairs for as long as possible. As soon as he saw the blue hat from the stairs the guilt settled in and he realised he probably shouldn’t abandon the boy he was sort-of-going-out-with alone with his psycho parents. 

“Kyle! What took you so long?” 

“Sorry, mom. It’s kinda hard to walk down the stairs with a sprained ankle.” 

She rolled her eyes at his words. “It’s not the worse injury you’ve ever had after your escapades with Stanley. Come keep your – are you calling him your boyfriend yet?” 

Kyle flushed at the question and narrowed his eyes. “Can we go upstairs?” 

“Dinner will be ready soon, and you’ve just complained it’s hard to walk down the stairs with that ankle. Do you really think it’s a good idea?” 

He could’ve said yes, and she wouldn’t have stopped him, but there was a way to her tone that had him gritting his teeth and shuffling round to sit on the couch between Craig and his dad, in hopes of providing some kind of buffer. 

He finally looked at the boy in the face and had to stop himself laughing. 

Craig was doing pretty well at remaining composed, though there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his lips. He seemed to have relaxed into the chair and be doing fine at keeping a level head, but as soon as their eyes met he pulled a face. His brows raised, lips pulled down, and he shrugged. As if to simply accept his face. 

Any humour he felt quickly died as he looked at what the dark haired boy was wearing. His usual black jeans and homemade space-themed converse were there like a safety blanket, but on his torso was a navy blue button up. He’d rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, and it looked like it had once been tucked in and he’d failed to get it out his trousers at the left hip, but something about it really suited him. 

Made him look handsome. 

The appreciation must’ve showed on Kyle’s face, as there was a light dusting of pink across Craig’s cheeks. 

“Craig here was just telling us about how he’d wanted to surprise you, given how you had to cancel your plans for today.” 

Kyle startled at his father’s words, watching as Craig’s face got pinker. “Really?” 

“Uh, yeah…” the dark haired boy cleared his throat, looking at a spot above Kyle’s eyes. “I figured if we couldn’t go out, I could just…come here. I hope that’s not…” 

Craig cut himself off with a grimace. It was the closest expression to concern and worry that Kyle had seen on his face. 

“It’s nice. I – uh – dad?” 

Gerald hummed as he looked from the TV to his son. 

“Can we…have a minute?” 

“Oh!” he gave a tight smile and stood. “Of course you can, Kyle. If your mother asks, I’ve gone to fetch your brother.” 

“Thanks.” 

He waited for the man to leave, watching him head up the stairs. He glanced behind to where the kitchen was, but where his mother usually played the radio there was only silence. 

She was totally eavesdropping. 

Kyle leant in close to speak. “You look really nice.” 

Craig seemed to get the message and kept his voice low, but there was an arrogant smirk on his face. “Thanks. I know.” 

“Don’t be a jackass.” 

“Don’t make it so easy.” 

Kyle huffed out, but the smile on his face betrayed him. “I’m glad you came. I was kinda bummed that I wasn’t going to get to see you. But…are you sure you’re okay with this?” 

“What?” 

“Dinner with my family?” 

Craig honestly looked a little sick. “I kinda got the impression I didn’t have much choice.” 

He probably didn’t. 

“How bad could it be though?” 

Kyle wasn’t sure what to say. He knew exactly how bad his mother could be. He knew how bad  _ both  _ his parents could be. But he wasn’t sure how to communicate that without making Craig panic prematurely. He wasn’t sure how to explain that he was scared they were going to scare Craig off without admitting that he didn’t want them to scare Craig off. 

Was it too much to just…say that? 

“Kyle, where’s your father?!” 

Apparently they’d been too quiet. Kyle spun round to address his mother, who was hovering in the archway to the kitchen. “He went to get Ike.” 

“Good, he can set the table for me.” 

Here was hoping his father had actually gone to get Ike. 

Craig leant in close again as she disappeared from view, but his eyes were trained on the archway that separated the living room from the kitchen. “Should I…offer help or something? Like, to set the table?” 

“Wait till Ike gets down, and then ask him if he wants help.” 

They didn’t have to wait long before Ike appeared, probably having also been eavesdropping on the scene to gauge the tension downstairs, with their father not far behind. Their mother’s voice called from the kitchen for Ike to set the table, who shot Kyle a withering look. 

“Should’a sprained my ankle.” 

“Do you wanna hand?” 

The grey eyes lit up at Craig’s offer. “Sure! Y’know, you get bonus brownie points if you do it all by yourself.” 

“Ike,” Kyle growled out in warning. 

His brother let out a playful sigh of disappointment before gesturing for Craig to follow him. They made quick work of it, Craig taking directions from the younger boy. Given how quiet he was being, Kyle got the impress he was trying to be on his best behaviour. Once they were done and his dad appeared to take his seat and encourage the two who set the table to do the same, Kyle got up to join them. 

He sat down next to Craig, Ike opposite them. He heard his mother huff out as she sat down at one end of the table, and he glanced up long enough to see her giving them a disapproving look. He resisted the urge to glare daggers at her or look victorious that he got to choose his seat before she chose it for him. 

They started their meal as they normally would. The food was passed around, each filling up their plates in turn, before Gerald started the conversation by asking Kyle how his ankle was feeling. 

“It’s alright,” Kyle responded. 

Ike latched on, grinning across the table at Craig. “Did he tell you how it happened?” 

“I’ve been told, yeah.” 

Sheila rolled her eyes. “It’s hardly surprising, the sort of things you and Stanley get up to.” 

“Cartman has a video of it.” 

Kyle prickled at that, glaring daggers at his little brother. “What do you mean, Cartman has a video?” 

“He sent it to me.” 

“I told you to stop talking to that as-!” 

“Kyle, mind your language.” 

“Sorry, dad.” 

Sheila turned her attention to Craig. “I don’t suppose you were with them when they were carrying on, were you, Craig?” 

He shook his head. “No, I wasn’t. Trying to parkour round SoDoSoPa isn’t really my style.” 

Kyle snorted at that, though there was a fond smile on his face. “You’re too cool for that.” 

Craig’s knee knocked against his own. 

“I suppose your style is more along the egging route, hmm?” 

The room stopped. Kyle felt his hackles rise as he glowered across the table. 

“Mom!” 

She bristled at the scolding. “Forgive me for being concerned about the reasons for egging someone’s house, Kyle! That poor family didn’t deserve to have their home vandalised like that.” 

“You know why her house got vandalised? Because Lola was a bitch.” 

“Mind your language at the dinner table!” 

“He’s not wrong, Shelia.” 

“Gerald!” 

“I’m just saying, I can see where Kyle was coming from. But that doesn’t make it right.” 

“I for one hope you boys learnt your lesson while you were detained at the station!” 

“If you’re gonna egg a house, make sure it’s not a policeman’s?” 

The table fell silent. Kyle turned to Craig with wide eyes, not quite believing that those words left Craig’s mouth. He could see Ike on the other side of the table, eyes flickering between each family member with suppressed excitement at the drama that was happening around him. Craig’s eyes met his, swallowing the rest of the food that was in his mouth before addressing the table as a whole. 

“It was…a joke?” 

Ike cracked first. He gave small sniggers before he was trying to control his laughter under the withering gaze of their mother, who’s head snapped round in horror as her husband began to chuckle also. Kyle felt a wave of relief wash over him as the tension seemed to defuse and Sheila’s horror seemed to disappear. 

“I suppose some people always manage to find the funny side of a situation.” 

“It’s probably just the nerves from being interrogated,” Kyle shot back quickly, pleased as his mother flushed with anger and shame. 

“How about we talk about something else?” Gerald suggested, eyes turning to Ike. “Have you played any good games lately, Ike?” 

“Uh, yeah? I mean, I started playing The Outworlds, that’s pretty cool.” 

Craig perked up at that, voice a little more reserved after blundering his way through his last attempt at speaking. “It’s got those New Vegas vibes, right?” 

“Right?” Ike’s face broke out into a smile. “It’s what I was hoping for!” 

He turned to look at his mother out the corner of his eyes as his brother and Craig began to chat. She didn’t notice, or chose to ignore his stare, but instead watched the two boys further down the table interact. 

He was pleased when Craig said something that made Ike laugh to see his mother chuckle. It made it easier to eat in peace, without feeling like he was going to vomit. 

Dinner felt lighter after that. Once Ike and Craig were done talking about video games, Craig fell quiet while his parents started to grill their sons instead. At the end of dinner Craig thanked his mom for the food, who was grateful and told them that they could go upstairs if they wanted to. 

Kyle was quick to take her up on the offer, hobbling over to the stairs with Craig on his heel. He took the railing as he made his first step. 

“Here, I’ll help you,” Craig spoke low, close to his ear as he stepped close and held a hand against Kyle’s back. 

Kyle smiled up at him. “Thanks, dude.” 

“Remember boys, leave the door open when you’re up there!” 

“Yes, mom, I know!” 

He felt Craig’s fingers twitched against his back. He pushed down the embarrassment from his mom and pulled himself up the stairs. 

He invited Craig into his room first, taking the chance to push the door as close to shut as he could without it being closed. He turned to see the dark haired man standing in the middle of the room with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking around with vague interest. 

“You can sit down. It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve ever been into my room.” 

“I feel like it is,” he admitted. “I’ve never felt so dissected in a single night before. I wasn’t even asked that many questions.” 

“She’s got that effect on people.” 

The pair of them sat on the bed side by side, facing the door. He hoped his mother would be kind on him tonight after the dinner she put them through and wouldn’t complain if she passed his room and saw how far he was pushing her rules. 

“I appreciate you coming round,” Kyle muttered, voice low as he spoke. 

“I…wasn’t sure if I was overstepping a line,” Craig started. “At first it was like, no big deal, I’ll just go round and hang out instead, and then mom had me change cause ‘you can’t go round looking like that what are his parents going to think’, like I’ve never met your parents before.” 

Kyle felt a smile forming on his face. “I can see your mom doing that.” 

“And then I was knocking on the door and I was beginning to think that maybe I should’ve given you a heads up, or something. Like maybe it’d be a bad surprise.” 

“It wasn’t.” 

Craig looked at him, eyes wide and jaw clenched. Hopeful.

“It was a good surprise.” 

A breath of relief and a small smile. “Thank fuck for that.” 

“I’ve been going crazy on my own. It’s just a sprained ankle, but it was bad enough that I’ve been kind of confined to my room all day.” 

“Kenny said you guys were trying to do backflips off the SoDoSoPa building?” 

“We had a mattress on the floor.” 

Craig raised a brow. 

“I just…missed it.” 

He scoffed, rolling his eyes and nudging his shoulder into Kyle’s. “Idiot.” 

“Next time I won’t fuck up the landing.” 

“How about you just don’t do it again?” 

Kyle grinned. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” 

“There’s a bit of a difference between adventure and stupidity, babe.” 

The pet name caught him by surprise. He felt heat rising in his cheeks, the corners of his lips twitching as Craig seemed to realise what he did, coughing through the embarrassment as his cheeks turned pink. 

Kyle turned his smile to the ground. “I’ll try to at least be safer next time, how about that?” 

“I guess that’s a compromise.” 

Silence descended, and he became hyper aware of the warmth of Craig’s arm pressed up against his own. 

“About what your mom said…” 

“Which bit?” 

“About…if you were calling me your boyfriend?” 

His face got even hotter. He swallowed a lump in his throat. “Yeah?” 

“You can, if you want?” 

He looked up despite feeling like he wanted to hide the ugly shade he knew his face would be. “Yeah?” 

Craig nodded, eyes pointing towards the ceiling. “Yeah.” 

“I’d like to.” 

Some of the tension left the boy’s features, and he finally turned to look at Kyle again. “Cool.” 

“You wanna play some Rocket League or something?” 

Once the sound of the game was filling the room, he wasn’t surprised to find Ike battling his way in to play with them, not taking no for an answer. He agreed, too soft on his little brother to say no. Craig didn’t seem to mind, which was a plus. 

He fought to make Craig agree to let him walk him to the door. He hobbled down the stairs, standing in the doorway to say goodbye, talking between themselves quietly about if Kyle would be back at school by Monday. Kyle was pretty certain he would be. 

“I’ll see you then, then?” 

“Yeah,” Kyle nodded, smiling up at the dark haired boy, who had his jacket on covering the button up he’d looked so nice in. “See you Monday.” 

He made no effort to close the door, and Craig made no effort to leave. He witnessed Craig suck in a deep breath, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket in a classic Craig pose, before he dipped forward. 

Kyle felt the air leave his lungs as lips pressed against his cheek. The action was brief, but the feeling lingered. 

He recovered quick enough. 

He grasped hold of the jacket before Craig could fully pull away, leaning forward into the cold night air. His aim landed perfectly, heart beating loud in his chest as he kissed the boy on his doorstep. 

Kyle pulled back, smile on his face as he watched Craig’s eyes flutter open, and repeated: “See you Monday.” 

He hopped back enough that he could close the door, though he didn’t close it fully until Craig had reached the end of the drive and flipped him off over his shoulder. He felt laughter bubbling in his chest at the action. 

He shut the door and wandered towards the kitchen to get himself a drink, finding his mother in there doing the dishes. She was silent as he searched the fridge for something, settling on milk. 

“It was nice of Craig to come and see you, seeing as you couldn’t go out.” 

He closed the door, turning to take the clean glass she’d placed to one side for him, and grabbed the towel to dry it. “Did you have to interrogate him?” 

“I didn’t interrogate him,” she huffed. “I just asked him normal questions. I know next to nothing about him!” 

“You hang out with his mom.” 

“It might surprise you, but we don’t just sit around and talk about our kids.” 

He put the milk carton back, taking his glass and looking over at her. She had a smile on her face that promised approval. 

It made him feel a lot more comfortable. 

He moved forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing as he pressed their heads together. She leant into the sideways hug. “Thanks, mom.” 

“No problem, sweetheart. You let me know if he causes you any trouble!” 

“I won’t.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm an absolute sucker for the idea that Sheila really doesn't like Craig (the bad influence) and after a day with him is super attached. As much as I think Kyle's parents are uh two of the less healthy parental figures, I like the idea that she tries really hard (and is so mothering that she can't not grow fond of the kids in the town). 
> 
> I'm so glad that Cryle Week gave me the chance to finish this fic because I actually started it not long after I posted the first one, and just...never finished it.


End file.
